Podcasts That Cover COVID-19

Daily updates and in-depth discussions from the perspective of professionals packaged in neat little episodes to make a worldwide pandemic easier to understand.

As we sit at home, isolating ourselves for the sake of our health and other’s, it can be hard not to feel overwhelmed by the worsening pandemic that the world is facing. Why is it so deadly? Why are some of the infected not showing any symptoms? Does wearing a mask really protect against the virus? These are all questions that you might want the answers to.

Podcasts have become a popular media format over the last few years, with 50% of homes in the United States listening to the medium this January. Educational and news shows are some of the most popular genres. 

“I think they are gaining popularity because people don’t want to be tied in front of the television,” says founder of the Kaatscast podcast, Brett Barry. “I think if you’re a fan of a show, you already trust them to deliver the news about what is happening in the world. In addition to the mainstream media, I would be wanting to hear the news from a voice that I trust.” 

Dr. Laura K. Murray, a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins University, cautions that it’s important to monitor how much news media you consume. Taking in too much of the 24-hour news cycle can be detrimental to your mental health and can contribute to feelings of anxiety.

Prerecorded episodes are the perfect way to stay up-to-date without overindulging.  Luckily, there are several podcasts that have dedicated themselves to explaining the ins and outs of COVID-19 in neat, digestible episodes. 

The Science Behind A Pandemic

Science Vs

Given four out of five stars by the Yale Scientific Review, this show looks at the science behind pop culture myths and commonly held beliefs to discern between fact and fiction. Science Vs has turned their attention to the recent health crisis, and each episode is geared towards addressing questions that the public has about COVID-19. Past episodes have featured pathologists and toxicologists to address how long the virus lives on various surfaces, how frequently you should disinfect your home and whether or not the virus is airborne. 

This Week In Virology

The premise of this program is pretty straight forward: immunologists, epidemiologist, coronavirologist and a few other ‘ists’ talk about the different facets of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Society for Microbiology lauded this show as a way to learn about viruses in a manner that wouldn’t scare the listener. Past episodes have discussed trials of hydroxychloroquine (anti-malaria medication) as a possible cure, copper facemasks, how the virus compares to the SARS outbreak and answers to listener questions. 

Short Wave 

A creative and lighthearted show that  looks at the science behind current events. This NPR podcast explores important COVID-19 topics, like whether or not the infected actually lose their sense of smell and why this virus is different from the flu, intermittently broken up by episodes about Nazi uranium and honeybees to remind us that there is still a world outside of coronavirus. Listeners have described this show as “excellent and unexpected” and that it includes “diverse voices in science.”

News Updates

The Daily

This New York Times show is known for the unique voice of its host, Michael Barbaro, and the intimate and conversational atmosphere that he creates in each episode. Labeled as a well-informed, sensitive, funny and modest news outlet by New York Magazine, each episode covers topics relevant to current events. Frequently, Barbaro will spend around 30 minutes interviewing journalists from the New York Times about the role of governors in containing the spread of the virus and the search for a vaccine. Barbaro also interviews medical professionals about what life is like inside of New York’s crowded hospitals.

Coronavirus Daily

Dubbed one of the best coronavirus podcasts by Vulture, this daily program covers all angles of the pandemic, from the science behind it, to the effect it has had on the economy and the political sphere. Each episode is only around 10 minutes long, making them easy to digest. Stories and interviews from the NPR reporting teams have covered White House briefings, breaking news updates and reports on PPE shortages nationwide. 

Coronavirus Global Update BBC

Another show that has made Vulture’s list of best coronavirus related programs, this daily news podcast delivers succinct breaking news rundowns that will keep you informed on how the virus is affecting international business, travel and health. A good alternative to the 24-hour news cycle, each episode is approximately 20 minutes, and has covered important news updates like the hospitalization of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the declining case numbers in Italy and the easing social distancing restrictions in Australia. 

Today, Explained

Dubbed as the edgy new podcast that rivals the likes of The Daily by the New Yorker’s Sarah Larson, this outlet rounds up the most relevant news updates, which are now mostly about the global pandemic, in concise episodes that are, at most, 30 minutes long. Past episodes have featured interviews with those currently infected by the virus, the race for a vaccine and the rise of unemployment. 

Economic Effects

Freakonomics Radio

Author of the Freakonomics books, Stephen J. Dubner, covers topics that you didn’t even know existed, and also talks about the unknown aspects of topics you thought you knew everything about. Dubner interviews experts and intellectuals from a variety of fields to explore the economics behind the recent $2 trillion stimulus package, the side effects of social distancing and how the pandemic has brought cities across the country to a grinding halt. According to Public Seminar, Freakonomics Radio is a “practical and approachable,” program that utilizes storytelling, data, research and insight in order to explore all sides of socioeconomic phenomena.

Planet Money

Self isolation has just about crippled the global economy. Trying to understand the driving forces behind the looming recession can be daunting. Luckily, this NPR program explores the factors behind economic decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in an intimate and easily understandable way. David Shaywitz of Forbes believes that Planet Money, a show he is “hopelessly addicted to,” is one of the podcasts that really carries the medium forward. Wondering how the gig economy has changed during such an unprecedented time, or where the money for the two trillion stimulus plan is coming from? Then this is the podcast for you.

Podcasts For The Soul

The Distance: Coronavirus Dispatches

Earning a high rating of 4.8/5 on Apple Podcasts, Vice’s Coronavirus Dispatches allows listeners an intimate, and sometimes heartbreaking, glance into the lives of people who are struggling through the worldwide pandemic. From a woman in New York city having to give birth alone because of hospital regulations, to the German LARPer who creates a world for himself where there isn’t a killer virus on the loose, this production features vignettes of how COVID-19 is changing lives. Each of the segments are around five minutes long, and give us a taste of the human connection that we are all craving. 

The Kids Are All...Home

Have you ever heard of fruity frosted hot dog soup? To make it, you need a hot dog, some orange juice and frosting, as per the instructions from the young culinary inventor who created it. Named as one of the best podcasts for kids by Wired, The Kids Are All...Home explores what kids are doing while they are stuck at home. From imaginative recipes that include everything but the kitchen sink to kid reporters interviewing experts from interesting fields, this podcast sheds light on some of the good that has come out of this time in self-isolation.

Checking In with Susan David

In such an unprecedented time, it’s important to take care of your mental health. Anxiety, fear and boredom are all normal emotions to be feeling at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be consumed by them. Harvard Medical School psychologist, Susan David, offers strategies and tools to deal with the mental and emotional strain that most of us are experiencing, and helps us maintain control in a time of uncertainty. Earning a nearly perfect review score of 4.9/5 on Apple Podcasts, listeners frequently note how happy they are to have found such a practical podcast to help them find “hope and comfort.”

The Right and Wrong Things to Say During the COVID-19 Pandemic

You’ve heard what to avoid doing during the pandemic. Here's what you should avoid saying.

Does this photo get a rights credit?

 It’s probably safe to assume that you’ve heard the tips that everyone needs to practice to stay physically safe during the COVID-19 pandemic — wash your hands, stay six feet apart from others, self-quarantine if you are feeling ill, wear a mask if you’re going outside. Oh, and wash your hands. But the mental and emotional health of people during this virus is also urgent and a significant thing to keep in mind. The way we discuss the pandemic will undoubtedly impact people’s mental health and, in a larger scale way, the way it is discussed defines who we are as a society and our humanity.

 As the Queen of England said in her address on April 5, “If we remain united and resolute, we will overcome it. I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.”

The following advice, based on the advice of public officials, psychiatrists and other experts will help you think about the right ways to talk about the outbreak and its impacts on our world. 

 Avoid Downplaying the Amount of Deaths

You may have taken to reassuring yourself  that “only” a small percentage of people who are infected with the virus will face fatal results. A few weeks ago a Columbia University doctor who specializes in cardiology at New York Presbyterian, who prefers to not be identified, deconstructed some of the issues with nonchalantly waving these numbers around: “The issue is people don’t understand statistics. You have a 0.2% chance of dying if you’re under 30. But millions are exposed, of which tens of thousands will get infected; that means hundreds of young people will die.”

 Young to middle-aged people are also getting the coronavirus, despite the common idea that non-elderly folks are immune. In fact, patients between the ages of 20-54 compose 40% of hospitalizations, according to the CDC, as noted in the New York Times. 

 As of April 5, the United States has already lost over 8,000 people to COVID-19 and is predicted to lose up to 240,000 more precious lives even with shutdowns and shelter-in orders in place, according what the White House reported to Business Insider.

 Needless to say, the fatality rate of the virus is certainly nothing to downplay.

 Stick to calling it “COVID-19” or “the coronavirus”

For some time, President Donald Trump as well as some of his staff members and colleagues referred to COVID-19 as “the China virus” and the “Wuhan virus.” These blatantly xenophobic and racist titles come with major consequences for Asian communities. 

In fact, a couple of weeks ago an FBI intelligence report predicted a surge in hate crimes towards Asians as the pandemic worsens.

Boro Park Jewish Community Council CEO Avi Greenstein who governs a region of Brooklyn is quoted in an article by The Jerusalem Post that the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn has also been experiencing some unwarranted anger and blame.

“The vast, vast majority of our community are abiding by guidelines,” Greenstein says. “But since we dress uniformly in a certain way, sometimes different things stand out, as opposed to when you would see thousands of people celebrating in concerts or bars and parks that are full.”

Nina Curran, a second-year student at New York University, says that being a Chinese-American in the current social climate means being unable to leave home without fear. She says with frustration, “my mom -- who was born in America, has not been to China in 12 years and does not have the virus--is afraid to leave the house by herself. My Korean hairdresser and her sister were both separately attacked on the LIRR and in Penn Station just because they’re Asian.”

Curran continues with a call to action, “Please be kind to your Asian friends and neighbors during this time and, if you can, support Asian-owned businesses because they’re [the businesses] hurting the most.”

 Remember that high productivity levels can’t be expected

Wait. You haven’t spent your quarantine becoming the next top chef, writing the next King Lear or becoming a musical genius? Guess what? Most of the world hasn’t. That’s okay, even despite what others may be telling you or what you may have been telling yourself. 

Chris Bailey, a productivity consultant and the author of Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction, is quoted in a New York Times article saying, “It’s tough enough to be productive in the best of times let alone when we’re in a global crisis. We have much less attention because we’re living through so much.” It’s difficult to make productivity a primary focus when you simultaneously need to focus on getting through a global crisis. 

In other words, the standard of maintaining or increasing productivity during quarantine is unrealistic. Expecting it is immoral. Try to avoid filling the minds of others with the idea that they should accomplish an overload of things while indoors. 

Dr. Jud Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in anxiety and habit change, writes that what’s important to focus on right now is that you’re incorporating rituals and mindful moments into your lifestyle in order to help you “stay mentally healthy, calm, and connected as we navigate our new world order.” These rituals range from breathing exercises to short moments of mindfulness to cuddling. Each of these practices are both relaxing and scientifically proven to improve your emotional and physical wellbeing. 

Show Love to Healthcare Workers

If there’s one group of people we can deem to be our heroes right now, it’s our healthcare workers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo consistently expresses admiration and appreciation for these individuals and calls citizens to do the same. Gov. Cuomo said at a March 24 press conference,  "[Our healthcare workers] are doing God's work… You want to talk about extraordinary individuals - extraordinary. When you see them on the street, when you see them in a hospital, please, just say thank you and smile and say, I know what you're doing."

Some healthcare workers, too, have requests from average citizens: stay home and show empathy.

Sydni Lane, a registered nurse in Iowa, took to Instagram to describe the breaking point she had faced that day of “exhaustion and defeat” and her response to countless people then saying, “Isn’t this what you signed up for?” 

She responds, “Just no. I signed up to take care of sick patients, yes. I did not sign up to be unprotected by their sickness. I did not sign up to be yelled at by angry patients because our government failed to be prepared. I did not sign up to risk mine and my family’s health and safety because people wanted to go on their vacations after they were told not to.”

Saying thank you to healthcare workers is not only the least you can do for them, it’s also the least you can do for yourself. Various studies, including one done at Harvard Medical School, prove that practicing gratitude improves happiness and health. It seems there are an array of reasons to show gratitude to healthcare workers with either a simple “thank you,” a virtual card or through applause as many New Yorkers are doing each night. 

Another request from healthcare workers? Do what it takes to flatten the curve. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) assure that by staying indoors and social distancing as much as humanly possible, people can help ensure that COVID-19 doesn’t spread any faster than it already is.

Or, as Lane writes in another post, “Dear America, I stay at work for you. Please stay the f*ck home for me. Love, Syd, your ER nurse.”

How To Manage Stress and Anxiety During The Coronavirus Pandemic

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Health Alert signs posted in windows of small businesses across New Paltz. Photo by Nick Califra

The coronavirus pandemic has completely changed the way you live your life. You are stuck in self-quarantine alone or with your family. Going out to the grocery store to stock up on essential items is a risky and caution-filled endeavor. You have become over-protective of your supply of toilet paper and disinfectant wipes, and run away from anyone who gets within six feet of your social distancing buffer zone.  

COVID-19 has consumed the news as infection cases and deaths rise everyday. However, the added stress on you and others in the U.S. is being somewhat lost in translation in the current media frenzy.

According to the American Psychological Association, 62 percent of Americans say they are stressed out about their financial situations and 63 percent of Americans are nervous about where the country as a whole is going in the future. These numbers will most likely rise due to the job and economic insecurity caused by the virus.

The self-quarantine element of the pandemic can also add to your possible stress as the thought of being stuck in a small space with your family, or by yourself, for weeks on end is enough to make anyone go stir-crazy.

However, this matter has not gone completely unnoticed. The Institute for Disaster Mental Health (IDMH) at SUNY New Paltz has released a tip sheet to help manage stress during the coronavirus pandemic. The document gives advice like how to identify the exact thing you are anxious about, how to reflect on it in a healthy way and how to focus on things that you are in control of.

After reading suggestions given by the IDMH, I had some questions that needed expert responses and was curious about other people’s experiences during the pandemic.

I feel I’m doing okay, should I be worried?

The answer is no, says Dr. Karla Vermeulen, the Deputy Director for the IDMH and an Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz.

Reactions differ on a person to person basis due to personality traits and being in different situations. Someone who suffers from higher levels of anxiety might be feeling the effects of this situation a bit more than someone who does not suffer from high levels of anxiety. The same goes for people who are currently looking after a loved one who may be more worried for their health versus someone who does not have any dependents.

“I'm a relatively sedentary person who enjoys working out here and there, so the self-isolation isn't killing me too much,” said Jared LaBrecque, a junior at SUNY New Paltz. 

However, these differing personality traits and reactions to the pandemic do not always live harmoniously. “There’s the camp of people saying ‘why are you freaking out?’ versus the camp of people saying ‘why aren’t you freaking out?,’” Vermeulen said. 

This can cause conflict and could limit your ability to support one another. The tip sheet advises compassion and sympathy and to not judge yourself or others for having different ways of coping with the current situation.

What can I do to prevent going stir crazy?

“Everything around me seems to reinforce all of the anxiety in my mind of how destructive this virus is,” said Amayah Spence, a sophomore at SUNY New Paltz.

The best thing you can do to fix this and keep your sanity is to do nothing. Limiting your news intake is absolutely critical for having good mental health during this time. “There is no reason to be monitoring news 24/7,” Vermeulen said. “It’s just a constant reminder of the stressors.”

The IDMH tip sheet urges you to choose what news you are absorbing carefully and to be aware of misinformation. The IDMH recommends the Centers for Disease Control website for accurate information and to only check for new information a few times a day.

Maintaining social connections, through things like video calls, is also quite critical to maintaining good mental health. “Just stay connected however you can with people,” said Vermuelen. “And don’t ruminate about the situation because it’s just not healthy or helpful.”

Watching a TV show or listening to music can help you deal with stress and potential insanity from self-isolation as it takes your mind off the current doom and gloom.

Lara Morales, a junior at SUNY New Paltz, has been able to mix maintaining social connections and entertainment by using the Google Chrome extension Netflix Party which allows you to watch a show or movie with your friends and web chat simultaneously.

Taking a walk around your block can also be very helpful just as long as you stay at least six-feet away from other people. According to Vermuelen, who has been baking cakes and breads in her free time, anything that changes your routine up a little bit is good.

And if you are someone whose hobbies and activities consist of depressing subject matter, fear not because you can continue doing that. According to Vermuelen, as long as that subject matter gets your mind off of the current distressing pandemic, continue doing it. This is referred to in psychology as Downward Social Comparison which is all about putting your current situation into perspective and comparing it with one that could be worse.

For example, the coronavirus may be infecting and killing more and more people each day, but at least the zombie apocalypse is not coinciding with it.

It may seem obvious and go without saying, but keeping a positive mindset is also quite important. This can be elaborated on through the use of PERMA, which entails keeping positive emotions, engaging skills, maintaining relationships, having a sense of meaning or purpose, and having feelings of accomplishment from work or hobbies.

“I am the only person in my family who hasn't lost a fair amount of income due to the pandemic so there is extra pressure to provide and pay upcoming bills,” -Takura Sophia-Blaise, a junior at SUNY New Paltz

According to Dr. Stephanie Blaisdell, the Vice President of Student Affairs at SUNY New Paltz, positive psychology can help people cope with adversity and help them flourish at the same time.

Could the United States have a collective mental snap?

“I am the only person in my family who hasn't lost a fair amount of income due to the pandemic so there is extra pressure to provide and pay upcoming bills,” said Takura Sophia-Blaise, a junior at SUNY New Paltz who alleviates stress by playing video games.

The economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, which, according to Politico, has caused people to lose their jobs and file for unemployment, is very concerning. On top of that, The American Psychological Association in 2019 saw an increase in stress on topics like climate change and terrorism while anxiety about the 2020 presidential election has increased from 52 percent in 2016 to 56 percent in 2019. With all of that in mind, could the United States have a collective mental breakdown?

It’s impossible to say for sure at this time. That being said, it’s important to always keep things in perspective. That sentiment is especially true of younger people who maybe don’t have the life experience to put all of this stress into context, said Vermuelen. 

For that context, Vermuelen thought back to living in lower Manhattan during the fallout from 9/11. “At that time, it felt like the world was ending and things would never feel okay again. And they did, ultimately, and I think that we’ll get through this in the same kind of way.”

If you are experiencing clinical levels of anxiety or depression please visit with a mental health professional. Tips on finding the right professional help can be found here. The SUNY New Paltz Psychological Counseling Center is offering services remotely and can be reached at 845-257-2920 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Social Distance Side Hustles

The Corona-virus has made social distancing a required task in order to flatten the curve, which has caused a large number of us to lose their jobs as businesses close. According to the U.S Department of Labor, unemployment claims jumped from over 300,000 in the week of March 14 to over 3.3 million in the week of March 21, 2020. By the next week, March 28, it jumped again up to over 6.6 million claims. The number of claims has been so massive that unemployment websites have been glitchy and crashing, causing people to spend multiple hours trying to file their claim. New Paltz resident Elana Durrick had to apply on the NY state unemployment website six times before it finally went through without crashing. She was forced to apply after losing her job as a waitress. The federal government officially passed a bailout plan that will send $1,200 to most American households but the earliest they could arrive is three weeks from the signing of the bill which was March 27, 2020. In the interim, many of us will likely need to find some source of extra income to make sure we can all pay our bills. Here are some potential odd jobs you could do to make money during this pandemic.

From March 14, 2020 to March 28, 2020, Six million people applied for unemployement

Transcribing

Many of us have probably been binging large amounts of shows on Netflix or one of the many other streaming platforms. You may have even been watching a show late into the night now that almost none of us have to wake up in the morning. Since it’s late and you’re not trying to wake anybody up to witness your bad decisions, you turn down the volume and turn on the subtitles to still catch everything that is said. What you may not know is those subtitles are usually still typed in by humans! That’s right, you can essentially get paid to watch Netflix shows….. As long as you write down everything that’s happening. Rev.com is an online company that transcribes audio, video and even does foreign translations for companies like CBS, Viacom and PBS. You can sign up there yourself to become an online transcriber. According to former employee Jaeden Marsh, after a grammar test and a bit of training you’ll be sent a handful of shows to work on. Marsh transcribed a few seasons over 3 months as a side job over the summer between semesters at Dutchess Community College. Occasionally you may also be asked to type out recordings of company’s online or in person meetings. You get paid for each completed minute of audio or video transcription as you go along and then receive more work once you've fully completed what you were sent. Though you will be obligated to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so you can’t tell anyone if you are sent a season of a brand new show. You are going to have to be able to keep a secret for this job!

Being able to make small distinctions like this is a huge help as a transcriber

Image from Arrested Development

Rent-a-Gamer

A selection of available e-boys

A selection of e-girls

Video games are also a common refuge for the many people who now have loads of time on their hands. Gaming also allows for some human interaction that still follows the social distancing guidelines. But what if you don’t have any friends to play with? Or your pals are all busy taking care of kids or elderly family members? Well then you can either rent a friend from egirl.gg or rent yourself out to play games with lonely people around the world. Egirl.gg is a website where you can charge a couple of dollars, as low as $1 and as high as $25, a match to play games like League of Legends, Overwatch, and Call of Duty with a random internet person willing to pay. What do you need to sign up to be an e-girl? According to the site, to be an e-girl you should, “be a professional player, a gaming enthusiast with a good sense of humor, or a cute girl with a sweet voice. If you can just be yourself and love the game, you will be the right person.” While the website has the word girl in its name, there are actually plenty of men looking for gaming mates or trainees as well. Mike Lasanen is a 31 year old Michigonian who lost his job at a popular tourist destination due to coronavirus. He isn’t eligible for unemployment anymore and says he now always keeps a tab of egirl.gg open to try and make a few extra bucks throughout the day. “It’s not a bad gig. Depending on the rank of the person who requests I can charge more.” Lasanen also said he has a female friend he knows who made $1,000 her first month on the site. For the female gamers, e-girl Mirella from Germany, where the website has also taken off, warns to be careful of customers who are streamers. Some Twitch.tv live streamers may try to hire you and record the interaction. If you don't want to be on stream make sure that is known.

Delivery Apps

It may be a very obvious side job but delivery driving for apps like DoorDash and Postmates have become even more important in our new coronavirus world order. Even before most regular businesses closed, the gig economy was growing. According to CNBC the number of gig workers has grown by six million people in the past 10 years to now be almost 10% of all workers. Contrary to what people may think, many gig economy workers also contain one of the largest portion of elderly workers. Those 55 and older make up over 30% of gig workers. This is of course the group most impacted by corona-virus so many of them will likely stay home. Places like Pizza Mia in Highland,

Restaurants are now restricted to take out and delivery options so ensuring that these kinds of local businesses can still provide food to customers may keep them from closing entirely. There are also older people and those with underlying health issues that may not want to leave their house to get groceries. You could be the person delivering necessities to people’s front door. This job obviously requires you to have a car and be willing to travel but the amount of human interaction involved is low. New social distancing protocols involve picking up food from a drop location and leaving it at a house doorstop, ringing the bell, and leaving. No more knocking on doors to say hello. Ding-dong-dash, formerly a childish prank, is now the status quo for most deliveries. This is a job with slightly higher risk, but there are plenty of financial and moral rewards. 

Unemployment and Taxes

As mentioned earlier, many of us have been applying for unemployment benefits by the millions and are expecting a check or direct deposit of bailout money from the government. If you are one of the few people who has not applied for unemployment yet, do so right away. You can use the usa.gov website to look up your state’s unemployment filing procedures. According to Business Insider, the federal government has expanded both the payout amount and the number of scenarios in which you could be eligible for unemployment. For example, if you leave work due to a risk of infection or to care for a family member, you are eligible for unemployment during that time. Normally there would be a one week waiting period after you apply until you could get a check but many states have removed this restriction as well. So make sure you apply. The other thing to do is to make sure you’ve filed your 2019 tax return. The $1200 stimulus checks to every American will be sent out soon, but if you don’t have a direct deposit set up with the IRS, you could be waiting for that check in the mail until July or August. The IRS extended the tax filing date until June 14 and also created this handy website to check if you are eligible for the economic impact payments. If you are a person who does not usually file tax returns, that does not mean you are ineligible for payments.  Any non-filers can enter their banking information here and still receive benefits. The money will be sent out in waves, so if someone you know has gotten their refund and you have not yet, don’t worry. As long as you have made sure that the IRS has all of your information, you will get the funds eventually. The IRS will likely be paying out until June or July. And don’t get upset with the IRS if your check isn't there right away. They do, after all, have hundreds of millions of people to process. 

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Ways for Women to use the Quarantine for Hair Care

Regimens, Products, Hairstyles and Remedies Right at Home

Photo of artwork with hair extensions found on Instagram @_tiffysbeautybar_

The lockdown does not have to interfere with your hair care according to a licensed natural hair stylist of nine years from Brooklyn, Alisha Richards. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused salons such as Damon’s to shut down. “It has allowed me to be more proactive about advertising and connecting with my clients during this time,” says Damon. She has been creating more instructional videos and posting them on her Instagram stories. Hair is Damon’s passion and she has ways to help you, especially if you’re struggling with your own.

Create a Regimen, Cleanse those Tresses!

In the wake of quarantine, you may not have the energy to cater to the process of doing your hair. However, a natural hair enthusiast on Youtube, Natural Niche, suggests that developing a regimen and having a set day for washing and styling your locks will help make it healthier and more manageable. The process and time for washing your hair will vary depending on its texture. “Washing consists of shampoo, deep condition for 15 to 30 minutes depending on hair damage, detangling and styling it however you want,” says Damon.  A wash day routine recommended by a natural hair blog site, The Lavish Beauty Palace, includes washing your hair in the shower with shampoo or co-washing (using conditioner only), depending on what you feel more comfortable with. Secondly, prep your locks for air drying by using a t-shirt or microfiber towel and then part your hair down the middle and then part each side of your hair into three more sections. Next step is to detangle and deep condition using your favorite conditioner and detangle your hair by starting at the ends of your hair and move upwards with a demi brush; after detangling you should braid every section of your hair and let it sit for an hour, then rinse the conditioner out of your hair. Finally, you will need to air dry for 10 hours and after the time has passed you can oil your scalp and take out the braids!

Via Favim.com

Treat Yo’ Scalp!

Aside from hair washing, the next step of hair maintenance is moisturizing your scalp. Damon suggests that oiling your scalp is necessary, especially if it is dry. According to Healthline, dry scalp occurs when you have too little moisture which causes the skin on your scalp to become irritated and flake off. If you do not have a dry scalp, Damon recommends that you oil your scalp every other day or twice a week. If you have a dry scalp, you should oil it daily. According to an article on a beauty website, Byrdie, you should stay away from petroleum-based oils because they tend to clog pores and weigh your tresses down. Instead, you should stick to natural oils, which include but are not limited to jojoba, coconut, Jamaican Black castor, argan or avocado. According to Naturally Curly, if you use shea butter, your mane will glow thanks to its moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Essentials!

The products you use are an essential part of a successful regimen. According to Damon, Shea Moisture is a good brand for hair care that can be used in your routine. As previously mentioned, Jamaican Black Castor oil was suggested by Naturally Curly to treat a dry scalp. An article from the Natural Club says “It strengthens, nourishes, moisturizes, and structures your hair and, it prevents breakage, hair loss, and infections.” Damon uses Shea Moisture’s JBCO line on her clients. The line was highly recommended by Youtube naturalista, Brandi Christina when she made a video using the shampoo, conditioner, treatment masque, and leave-in conditioner. Shea moisture has more collections centered around other organic ingredients. HQ Hair made a list of various products from Shea Moisture’s other line. Some products on the list are; their Coconut and Hibiscus curl enhancing smoothie, shampoo, and curling gel souffle, Raw Shea Butter deep treatment masque, and retention shampoo, Jamaican Black Castor oil leave-in conditioner and edge treatment, and their Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque. 

Braids, Twists, Styles to make you Smile -- Perfect your CRAFT

The free time you have from quarantine will allow you to explore new hairstyles. Damon suggests protective styles because they are styles that don’t require you to perform your regimen daily and helps with hair growth, such as; twist outs, cornrows, box braids, Bantu knots and more. “You have the time. What I would do is try out styles that I’ve possibly done before and had a hard time doing,” says Damon. Natural Niche also mentioned that you could use the quarantine to try out new styles that you might have been hesitant to do from being busy or from the fear of having a potentially bad hair day.  

Range of protective styles from Frizzoff.com

Unbelievable Remedies

Eggs, avocados, bananas?! They sound like ingredients for a healthy feast, but they are actually great supplements for your mane’s maintenance. Damon listed rice water to help with growth and smoothening out the hair. Honey to help with the shine. She also listed peanut oil because it softens your hair, reduces and controls flakiness which is beneficial for your lock’s upkeep. According to Byrdie, eggs have lecithin and protein, therefore eggs give it the ability to strengthen and heal the strands and it can get rid of dandruff. According to the hair company, Hairfinity, bananas help with your hair’s manageability and moisturization. Hairfinity also says that avocados lock moisture into your hair cells and strengthens your roots. You can use these ingredients on your fro by watching DIY videos from naturalistas on Youtube and make your own. You can repair your hair in the comfort of your own home!

Take Advantage of Your Free Time

You have the ability to become your own natural hair stylist in the midst of this crisis and cure the boredom of social distancing. “The aftermath of actually looking at yourself and seeing how good you look will make you feel better,” says Damon. 

How to Buy a Car During a Worldwide Pandemic

Buying a car right now is different in some ways than a world without COVID-19, but it’s still possible.

With the outbreak of coronavirus, switching to an online sales model can work for many businesses. Yet, it is very hard for it to work with car dealerships.

Many of them, despite keeping their maintenance departments open, have drastically limited or closed their sales operations to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Additionally, some sellers won’t allow test drives, but will allow you to purchase a car without stepping inside of it. This makes buying a car, especially used ones, extremely difficult. 

“We are seeing a lot of people come in that totaled their prior vehicle,” said General Sales Manager of Century Chevrolet in Broomfield, CO, Nick Guzman. “We also see people whose vehicles need repairs greater than the value of their current vehicle.” In simpler terms, if a repair for a car costs $3,000 yet the car’s resale value is only $2,000, you’re better off selling the car than trying to get it fixed.

If you’re in desperate need to buy a new or used car during the coronavirus outbreak, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1)  Do tons of research.

This goes for any car purchase, but especially when buying during the pandemic. Take a hard look at a used car’s Carfax, which is often provided for free through a dealership’s website. A Carfax report will detail any accidents the car was involved in or maintenance done to the vehicle. If you can’t get one for free, you can buy a single Carfax report for $29.99. You can also buy 10 reports for $34.99 or unlimited reports for a month for $39.99.

You should also look up a car’s Consumer Reports rating to accurately judge its reliability and driving experience. Consumer Reports (CR) gives an extensive history of a model’s quality, meaning you get a better idea of how a car’s ratings have changed over the years. CR requires a membership fee, yet some public libraries offer free access with a library card. Try checking out if your local library has this option.

2) Check out the car in person.

Since driving to a car lot and looking at cars is not (yet?) banned, you should inspect the car yourself. Dealerships will provide pictures of a listed car on their website, but they may not tell you the full story.

CR provides a checklist to run through when looking at a used car. Regarding exterior checks, they recommend closely inspecting a car’s tires, glass and suspension to get a better idea of how much the car is worth.

However, in some cases, looking at a vehicle in person isn’t always possible or preferred depending on the seller’s COVID-19 sales policies. “If not, ask [the dealer] about exchange and return policies ahead of time,” Guzman said.

If you’re working with a private seller who’s willing to let you look at a car during the pandemic, be careful and protect yourself.

“The guy who sold my car to me was very cautious about social distancing,” said new 2003 Subaru WRX owner and SUNY New Paltz student Vici Gajdzik.

If you want to be extra safe, bring gloves and a mask and try to not cross-contaminate between yourself and dirty car surfaces. Cleaning certain surfaces of the car is an option, too. “Spray products like bleach and Lysol can be effective to disinfect most surfaces,” said Business Insider’s Canela López.

3) Figure out if the car was smoked in.

“...almost 90% of harmful chemicals from cigarettes will remain in a car’s interior if it was repeatedly smoked in.”

— Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center

Stepping into a used car and being hit with a strong stench of cigarette smoke is a hugely disappointing and putrid experience. The Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center recommends avoiding purchasing a car that was smoked in because almost 90% of harmful chemicals from cigarettes will remain inside a car’s interior if it was repeatedly smoked in. If you’re checking out a car remotely, ask a sales representative if the car was previously owned by a smoker. Dealerships will try to mask any cigarette smell using deodorizing agents. However, they don’t always work. according to the Resource Center, “Depending on the concentration level, the smell will come back.”

4) Buy from a dealership.

If you need a car ASAP, then buying from a private seller will be faster. However, buying from a manufacturer’s dealership has its pros. “There are a lot of small used car lots and finding a trusted one is difficult,” Guzman said. “A large chain worries more about social media reviews and manufacturer relations and reputation.”

Guzman said that dealerships will also thoroughly sanitize their cars in the chance that they offer a test drive during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, they will sell their cars under a warranty or certification, which provides additional protection in the case something goes wrong with your new ride.

“Try to find something that is manufacturer certified. Those have to meet stricter [quality] standards,” Guzman said.

A certified pre-owned vehicle warranty, which is included in a vehicle’s price, will typically cover certain components of a car over a certain number of years and miles and is backed by both the dealer and the car’s manufacturer. Take a Ford certified pre-owned warranty, for example. For 12 months or 12,000 miles, Ford covers faulty engines, transmissions and brakes, among other areas. This means that if one of those things breaks and it’s covered by the warranty, you can send the car back to a Ford dealership to have it fixed for free.

5) Have a mechanic look at the car before buying it.

If you’re buying a used car that has a certified pre-owned warranty from a dealership, the car should have already been inspected and be mechanically sound. Buying a car without a warranty or “certified” badge is a different story.

“A thorough, professional inspection can tell you whether you're about to buy a peach or a lemon,” said Edmunds’ Peter Gareffa. Edmunds is a trusted website that provides detailed car reviews, car listings, pricing guides and useful articles regarding car ownership. “Having a third party inspect and test the vehicle establishes trust and increases your familiarity with the car,” Gareffa said.

These inspections typically cost between $100 to $200, according to Gareffa. When purchasing online, there are services such as Alliance Inspection Management (AIM) which will inspect the car and report their findings to you remotely. A March 16 report indicates AIM’s inspections will continue through the pandemic, so that option is still available to you.

Even having a friend who’s good with working on cars look at the car with you is a convenient solution. “We checked for any oil leaks, hose leaks or coolant leaks,” Gajdzik, the SUNY New Paltz WRX buyer said. “We also checked for rust, since that’s a big problem for Subaru’s.”

6) Jump on really good deals and great financing plans.

Car sales have unsurprisingly nose-dived in March. According to a TrueCar forecast, sales will have dropped 37% in March. Considering the declining consumer market, taking out a loan right now is a smart idea. The Federal Reserve has dropped their interest rate to nearly zero percent, meaning very attractive rates for you. For example, Acura is offering a crazy low 0.9% annual percentage rate, or APR, on most new models. Many manufacturers, to protect customers who might have lost their jobs due to the outbreak, are providing deferred payment plans for leased or financed cars such as BMW, Chevrolet and Volkswagen.

Friendly reminder: You are protected by the law.

New York has something called the “Used Car Lemon Law” that protects consumers against defective used cars purchased within two years of their original delivery. If you bought a car in New York that has less than 100,000 miles when you got it, and it ends up having a big issue with a component covered by a dealer’s warranty, the seller has a legal obligation to fix the issue. If the issues can’t be fixed within 15 days of your warranty coverage, they must refund you the purchase price of the vehicle.

Some private sellers may provide a personal warranty.

“My seller offered a personal one month warranty. If anything goes wrong with the car, he’ll fix it,” Gajdzik said.

If buying a car during the pandemic is an absolute must for you, then lucky you, it’s still possible. But be careful and keep these few things in mind.

This Version Has a Pullquote style you can copy from

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This is a really cool Pullquote

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. 

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. 

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Seattle’s X-Ray Automotive is all about Vintage, Minus the Hype.

Matt Pollitz is elbow-deep under the hood of a 1970 Volvo 145 wagon. The cabin looks as if several drifters had until recently claimed its cavernous quarters for squatting. It’s actually a longtime customer’s wagon, but as Pollitz puts it, this client “should do a lot more preventative maintenance on this car. Instead he calls me when it stops running.”

Pollitz has had his shop, X-Ray Automotive, in one Seattle location or another over the past two decades. Old Volvos are common enough in Seattle that they’re reasonably cheap to buy and run, and they have undeniable character. Pollitz’s customers do own some beauties of collector quality, from 444s to Amazons and Duetts, but most all of them are daily drivers. “That’s just Seattle,” he says with a shrug.

The stockily built, stubble-faced Pollitz, like most mechanics, isn’t shy about his biases. He’s attracted to Volvos because they’re a bit like him: stoic, but not cold. He likes that the cars are rugged and even the old ones are relatively safe, and he’s working on a Duett for his daughter to drive when she gets her license in a few years. Of course, that would make her the coolest kid in her high school, but that’s hardly Pollitz’s motive. He grins a bit ironically when asked about the hipster crowd in his part of Seattle and its interest in mid-’80s Volvos. To him the bright side of that buzz is the potential to electrify the cars—to make the old and mossy very new and shiny.

"Nobody gave a crap about art, so I found myself in Seattle seeing Volvos on every corner with my mind blown."

Although he owns X-Ray, Pollitz isn’t a mechanic by training. The 44-year-old grew up in New England, and his cars were always 1960s Volvos, which meant that teaching himself to work on them was a matter of necessity. After traveling around Eastern Europe working as an artist in the wake of the Soviet collapse in the 1990s, he came back to the U.S. thinking he’d continue his art career. “But nobody gave a crap about art here, so I found myself in Seattle seeing Volvos on every corner with my mind blown,” he says. “All of these old cars had turned to rust where I grew up and I figured there had to be a job in keeping them running.”

Less rust, more moss. The lot at X-Ray under leaden Seattle skies. Photo by Michael Frank.

What Pollitz quickly realized, too, was that his skills were no longer mainstream. “Your dad used to teach you how to set points and tune carburetors, and there were millions of Americans who used to know how to work on cars,” he reflects. His expertise fell by the wayside by the early 2000s, when all his twenty- and thirty-something peer mechanics only knew how to work on newer machines. Much like the old Volvos crowding Seattle streets, Pollitz was an anomaly—a rare young person who knew how to maintain naturally aspirated cars.

Pollitz commutes 45 miles in this Duett every day from Tacoma. Photo by Michael Frank.

Twenty years ago, as now, Seattle’s economy was booming, and one constant has been the city’s rich stock of 1950s–1970s Swedish machinery. Seattle after WWII was a sleepy backwater. Waves of Nordic immigrants helped settle the Northwest, attracted to businesses like forestry and fishing that carried over from their previous homeland. These Swedes and Norwegians settled stalwart middle-class seaside neighborhoods like Ballard, where Pollitz has always had his shops, and such folks were some of the first Americans to pine after imported Volvos, making Seattle one of the strongest markets in the U.S. “Back then, in most of America if you bought an imported car it was a VW,” Pollitz says. “But in Seattle people bought Volvos— and they still do.”

The big difference today, the relatively gruff Pollitz notes, is the wash of money coating every corner of the city. “I couldn’t buy a postage stamp, let alone a house in Ballard,” Pollitz snorts. The district may still appear working-class—especially the warehouse section surrounding his current outpost, where he works cheek-by-jowl with metal artisans and sculptors who share his tin-walled, chilly building—but single-family homes regularly sell for north of $1 million here. Rather than live nearby with his wife and daughter, Pollitz instead commutes every day to X-Ray in his mid-1950s Volvo Duett, fighting north-south I-5 traffic from the scruffy, but far more affordable city of Tacoma, Washington.

Even as housing costs have risen throughout the Northwest—Seattle is no longer the sleepy town it once was—its environs have been kind to old cars. Western Washington is damp, but it rarely snows and roads aren’t salted, so vintage iron grows moss, rather than rust. (Yes, really.) Pollitz recently bought a field-found Amazon 122 that’s literally green-hued. “The tabs are from 1998, which is the last time it was registered, but I did a little work and got it running.”

And as Volvo aficionados know, these vintage Swedes are built to take a beating. “The B18, which they introduced in ’62, everyone thought Volvo was crazy,” Pollitz explains. “It’s a four-cylinder engine with five main bearings. Then, and even today, four-cylinder engines mostly have three bearings on the crankshaft. It's an additional expense—not just the bearings but the journals—plus more intricate casting of the block.” Pollitz says those five-bearing fours are unbelievably tough. He figures the careworn B18 he’s repairing in his shop right now easily has a half-million miles on it without a rebuild, and he’s fairly sure the owner has seldom given it much if any serious attention.

Indeed, he says that a number of his current customers—mostly musicians, artists, and other creative types—barely care about what’s under the hoods of their cars. “They’re not in love with the internal combustion engine,” he says. “It’s the shape of the car, the look of it, the body style.” For that reason, Pollitz has already dabbled here and there converting some into EVs. 

Jeannette Meade’s EV is hardly a Tesla. Photo by Michael Frank.

Jeannette Meade swings by X-Ray in her Volvo 444 because her wipers aren’t tracking correctly. She’s originally from Sweden and an owner of a local coffee shop. She always noticed Pollitz coming to get a coffee in a different vintage Volvo. Eventually she asked how she could get her hands on one. That led her down the rabbit hole not just to any 444, but to this one that Pollitz converted to electric power for her, using a forklift motor. Meade’s car retains its traditional gearbox, too. Why gears? Hills. Seattle has a lot of them, and Pollitz wanted Meade to have the option to downshift for descents, particularly in the rain.

Meade kindly let me take her car for a spin around the block. What’s immediately amusing is the ferocious torque; you can start the damn thing in third gear. “I just leave it in third or second,” she tells me. You also don’t have to dump the clutch at a light and shift to neutral, because it will never stall like an engine would. The clutch is only necessary to change gears.

Pollitz says the idea of converting all of his clients’ cars to electric is a fantasy he hopes to somehow make a reality. “I don’t relish maintaining a fleet of cute super-polluters. I know that might be heresy to fans of old cars, but look, these have been around for sometimes 50 years, and the ones in great shape can be around for another 50. But going forward it’s only smart for wear and tear alone if they’re electric.”

He’s well aware that this concept creates a conundrum for his own business. Meade only stopped by because of her degrading wiper performance. Otherwise, she doesn’t visit X-Ray; like many greasy, cluttered vintage car repair shops it’s hardly hospitable; and besides, her EV doesn’t need oil changes or coolant flushes. As Pollitz inspects her car, though, he realizes she does in fact need some suspension and other work. Making a car into an EV puts the onus on Pollitz to pester his customers to see him regularly, like a dentist wishfully nagging patients to get regular cleanings. “Brakes, tire rotations, that kind of thing. Just so I’m keeping an eye on any little problems before they compound.”



Pollitz doesn’t prosthelytize about his EV conversions — but subtle advertising like this doesn’t hurt. Photo by Michael Frank.

Even as Pollitz has made a business of maintaining older Volvos, he reiterates that the boxier 1970s–’90s 240s that Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennial car fans are warming to are even better-suited for EV conversions. “There’s just so much room in them for batteries and electric motors,” he says.

The one problem for Pollitz is that Seattleites are somewhat spoiled: They have a misperception that old Volvos are more plentiful than they actually are, which depresses their value, at least locally. So he’s stuck, in a way. Scaling up to swipe used Nissan Leaf drivetrains and swap them into 244s and 245s for resale would be ideal, but it’s not a cheap proposition. “Short of becoming a nonprofit, I’m not sure how you do it,” he says. Pollitz figures his customers would be wiser to just buy used Leafs and drive them, but he also knows they don’t putter around in old Volvos for strictly rational reasons.

“There’s a love for these old cars,” says Pollitz. “Converting them to electric would be better for the planet and it would save more Volvos. These are beautiful cars and they’re also an important part of Seattle’s history, so I hope to find a way to make it work.”

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